


love sucks (until it doesn't)

by ForceAwakend



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Please Don't Hate Me, emotions are messy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 20:47:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12872688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForceAwakend/pseuds/ForceAwakend
Summary: In which Ben learns lessons about love and life, though they suck.





	love sucks (until it doesn't)

Ben groaned as the sound of his alarm clock blared in his ear. He rolled over and slammed his hand on the snooze button in some vain attempt to go back to sleep. He opened his eyes and grudgingly extricated himself from the pleasant comfort of his bed. He stretched and cracked his back before he padded over to his closet. He scanned his wardrobe before his gaze traveled down to the countdown on his left wrist. His heart thudded in his chest as he realized that he had less than an hour and a half until he met his soulmate. He quickly dressed and pulled on his socks and shoes before he exited his bedroom. Ben took the stairs with the giddiness of a child on Christmas Day and made his way to the kitchen with a smile on his face. 

"I know that look," his dad said from the small kitchen table.

Ben laughed and pushed a hand through his hair. "Well, I have about an hour and a half left."

His mother leaned over the counter and asked, "Do you want to have breakfast here, then, Ben?"

"Leia, the kid is not going to find his soulmate here."

Leia put her hands on her hips. "Han, remember what your timer did? It went off when you met Luke and I at the same time."

Han hid his face in his hands as he groaned, "Jeez. Okay, you have a point."

He sighed at his parents before he rubbed the back of his neck. "That is way more than I ever wanted to know about your relationship." He went to his chair and grabbed his messenger bag off the back of his chair. "I am going to go to Maz's to get some writing done."

Patting his pockets to make sure he had his keys, he grabbed his jacket from the peg near the front door and threw it over his shoulder before he left the house.

\--

Ben looked at his countdown and gave it a soft tap before he reached for the stair railing. Barely ten minutes had passed, accounting for the distance he walked in order to get to the subway stop near his house. He lived at least a twenty minute ride from Maz's Cafe, which he and his parents had frequented since he was a young child. He entered the subway car and looked at the map before he sat down on the bench directly under the subway map. Ben glanced at the countdown on his wrist and his brow furrowed as the countdown sped up, shaving minutes off as the train started moving. He opened his mouth in shock before he closed it and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Son, the countdown is fluid," an older man said from across the aisle.

Looking up, he put a hand over his countdown as he asked, "So it is also a matter of free will?"

The older gentleman laughed a little. "Of course. If it wasn't a matter of free will, less people would find their soulmates."

Ben pulled his hand away before he set his bag on the bench next to him before he opened it. He reached into the bag and pulled out one of his favorite books, settling back into the seat. Ben dragged his fingers over the spine of the book before he opened it. He looked up from the book, looking out the window the train as the inside of the tunnel flew past, before he turned his attention to the book once again. The book was one he had gotten for Christmas the year it was published and it was the first book he had ever finished in the span of a day. He had not wanted to put the book down, so he read it until he was finished. It was a guilty pleasure of sorts, one of the few soulmate romances that he owned. Ben looked up from his book as each stop passed on, the sliding doors opening and closing until he closed the book and glanced down at his countdown. He tapped it as the door opened for the last time on his ride and the bell dinged overhead.

"This is my stop," he said to himself as he exited the train.

He made his way through the turnstile and went up the stairs to the street above. He waited impatiently at the crosswalk before the bright red hand changed into a white walking figure. He crossed the street with an air of urgency and he weaved in and out of the throngs of people as he made his way to Maz's. It was a route he had memorized from the time he was around thirteen years old, relying on it as a place for him to work on his school work. Ben pushed a hand through his hair before he finally walked down the block that led him straight to Maz's Cafe. He made his way through the people before he got to the familiar storefront and he opened the door. 

Ben waited at the back of the line and glanced down at his countdown before he put his hand over it. He tapped his fingers on the surface of the countdown before the line in front of him moved. Nervous energy swirled through his body before it pooled in his feet and he tapped his foot on the ground before impatience settled at the back of his mind. His heart pounding in his chest as the line in front of him moved again until there was only one person separating him from the counter. He glanced up at the menu and stepped forward as he decided what he wanted before he looked at the young woman in front of him. She looked up at him as well and, as their eyes met, an electric current sparked against his skin and filled him with something akin to excitement. He glanced down at his wrist and saw it flash all zeroes.

"Sir," she said, "How can I help you?"

The question shattered the near fog that surrounded his mind and his mouth dried up as he tried to swallow. "Uh." He cleared his throat before covering a cough with his hand. "I'll just have the special breakfast sandwich and a medium peppermint mocha latte."

Ben swiped his card and accepted his receipt before he moved to the counter. He refrained from looking at the countdown on his wrist, knowing that it only served to mock him. Ben chanced another glance at the young woman and he waited for a moment before he shook his head and looked away. He waited for his order and took his drink and the small plate of food before he walked over to a secluded table and sat in one of the chairs. He sipped at his drink before he pushed the plate away, instead pulling his phone out of his pocket. His hands shook as he unlocked the phone, his thumb hovering over the message icon before he tapped it. His thumbs hovered over the onscreen keyboard and he swallowed.

 ****He typed a message to him mom as he swallowed past a lump in his throat. _Mom. What happens if my countdown stops but her's doesn't?_ He pressed send and put his phone back in his pocket.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Whether or not I continue depends on reviews.


End file.
